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the sight of two of these elegantflies, near Faversham, in Kent ; one of which 

 I thought it great good fortune to take, but in the course of that week I was 

 more agreeably surprised with seeing and taking numbers of them in the 

 most perfect condition. One of my sons found an old decoy pond of large 

 extent, surrounded with willow and sallow trees, and a great number 

 of these butterflies flying about and at rest on the trees, many of which 

 appearing to be just out of the chrysalis, left no room to doubt that this was 

 a place where they bred. In March, 1790, a number of these insects were 

 flying and soaring about for the space of twelve or fourteen days ; and then 

 as if with one consent, they migrated from us and were no more seen/' 



Donovan, in his " Natural History of British Insects," Vol. III., published 

 in 1794, writes, "The Papilio antiopa is found in every part of Europe; in 

 Germany particularly it is very common, and is as frequent in America as in 

 Europe, and is esteemed as a rarity only in this country ; it is indeed, some- 

 times found in abundance with us, but as its appearance is neither annual 

 nor periodical, it is generally valued by English collectors. There have been 

 several instances of its being found in different parts of this country in mild 

 seasons, as plenty as the Peacock, or Admiral Butterflies; in the summer of 

 1793, particularly, they were as numerous in some places as the Common 

 Garden White Butterfly is usually near London. But as a proof that its 

 appearance does not altogether depend on the temperature of the weather, 

 we need only adduce, that not a single specimen has been taken this season, 

 although it has been one of the most favourable for all kinds of insects that 

 can be recollected ; and many species of moths and butterflies, which have 

 not been seen for many years before, have been taken at Coombe Wood, Darn 

 Wood, and similar adjacent parts, during summer, in plenty. The English 

 specimens differ from those of other countries in the colour of the bright ex- 

 terior border of the wings ; in the former, that part is of a very pale yellow 

 brown, inclining to a dirty white ; in the latter, it is of a deep yellow, marked 

 and spotted with brown, Fabricius notices this difference, and says they are 

 varieties." 



Haworth, in his "Lepidoptera Britannica," 1803, writes: — There is some- 

 thing very extraordinary in the periodical but irregular appearance of this 

 species, Edusa and Cardui. They are plentiful all over the kingdom in some 

 years ; after which, Antiopa in particular, they will not be seen for eight, ten, 

 or more years, by any one, and then appear again as plentiful as before. 

 To suppose they come from the Continent is an idle conjecture, because the 

 English specimens are easily distinguished from all others by the superior 

 whiteness of their borders. Perhaps their eggs, in this climate, like the seeds 

 of some vegetables, may occasionally lie dormant for several seasons, and not 



